Wrath of Asclepios
by ShiverMeFunzies
Summary: New chapter!. Sydney, Nigel and their friends embark on a an adventure that involves an abduction, torture, poisoning, murder and a relic hunt and everything in between.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters of RH**

**A/N- Hey guys, this is my first attempt at a series. I hope its ok. This one goes out to Kate! You inspired to start Fanfic writing in the first place. Thanks! **

Chapter 1: Stolen

"What say we call it a night?" asked Sydney as she dumped yet another essays into the "done" pile on her desk. She and Nigel had been marking papers non-stop for the past six hours and at this point all the words were merging together, ceasing to make any sense to their exhausted minds. It was now past 2pm and they were now running on pure will, since all their energy had already been spent on the hunt that they hand just returned from this evening.

"Yes Please, I think my brain shut down an hour ago. I can't even remember what the last essay was about." Nigel replied, taking off his glasses to clean them for the millionth time in the past hour. His eyes were beginning to burn from all reading and his vision was becoming fuzzier as the night wore on.

"Let me go get my bag and then I'll drop you to your apartment."

"Oh don't worry about it. I have my bike…"

"Nigel, in your state I'll be surprised if you can manage to walk to the end of the block, let alone riding your bike all the way to your apartment. Just put the bike in my trunk and let me drive you." She bellowed as she made her way around her cluttered office, collecting the things she was going to take home.

:Nigel sighed, too exhausted to argue at this point. "Ok, thanks Syd!" He replied, giving in to his friend's intendance as he usually did.

Within a few minutes, both relic hunters were ready to head home. Closing down the department, the began to slowly make their way towards the parking lot.

"Wow, it's been a long day!" said Sydney, stretching her aching arms.

"No, long days are still understandable. I don't think we even get the concept of days and nights anymore. I frankly can't remember when I last slept."

"I couldn't forget even if I tried. I think you scared half the children on the train with those rumbling noises coming from your nostrils."

"Oh please, a bomb going off wouldn't disturb those banshees in that train. They were like cranky heavy mental singers, screaming into the microphone, only it was my ear instead of the microphone. I was lucky I was exhoasted or I wouldn't even have gotten that half hour of sleep." Said Nigel, remembering the annoying and extremely loud children who sat behind them on their way to Giza.

"Yea it was pretty loud in there. Wasn't it? I mean I love kids, but man, there was some extra ordinary lung capacity in that compartment. I wonder if I screamed that loudly when I was a kid."

"Oh,I have no doubts of your lung capacity. You could have topped the combined noise of all four of those little buggers."

"Oh well, it builds stamina for putting those lungs to other uses." Replied Sydney, deliberately making her voice sultry and seductive to gat a reaction out of her shy assistant.

"Yes well, I don't dare to doubt that either." Replied Nigel, slightly blushing at the image of Sydney passionately kissing him that was conjured in his head for a brief second. "Anyway, I'll go grab my bike. Why don't you head to your car and I'll meet you there." With that Nigel made his quick retreat, avoiding eye contact with Sydney.

Sydney smiled to herself. She loved it when he blushed like that He became so flustered and nervous if she even insinuated anything other than friendship. Not that she truly meant anything by her fluty remarks, she just liked messing with him. It was only a few isolated moments in a day when she truly wished she could take Nigel in her arms and spend eternity in his embrace, But then she reasoned that he was the only person in her life that she associated with the most and it was natural to feel attracted to him. It didn't mean anything, she was just reacting to not having a flourishing love life, by lusting over the next visible guy, which was always Nigel.

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"Thanks Syd." Said Nigel, sticking his head into the passenger door's window, with one hand clutching his bike.

"No problem. Go straight to bed! I want you bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow morning.'

"Yes ma'am. Night!" replied Nigel, giving her employer a mock solute with his free hand. With that he began to make his way to his apartment.

"Night Nigel." Sydney whispered, to the spot where Nigel has stood only moments ago. Pulling herself out of the sudden urge to go after him into his apartment, she reversed her car and drove away.

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As Nigel walked into his apartment, a chill ran down his spine. Something was wrong. There was an eerie silence that filled the air, almost making it seem like the calm before a storm. Keeping his guard up, Nigel groped for the light switch but never made to the wall, as a sharp pain erupted in the back of his skull and then his world went plank. Two men, clad in black carried Nigel's lifeless form out the door and loaded him into a black Sudan that was parked in the basement parking lot. Then the mysterious men climbed into the car themselves and the car sped out of the parking lot and was instantly consumed by the darkness of the night.


	2. Chapter 2 : Peril

Disclaimer- I don't own any of the RH characters.

**A/N- Well here's the next chapter. I hope its OK. Please review, so I know that you're interested in the story and want it to continue.**

**Chapter 2: in Peril **

"OW!" was the only suitable thing to utter at this point, as Nigel Bailey finally came to. Pain pulsated from one corner of his head to the other, making it seem like elephants were stampeding across his brain. He wasn't sure opening his eyes was the smart thing to do, but he got the feeling that he needed to be alert right now. The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was that he was kneeling on the floor, with his arm tied to metallic chains that protruded from the walls on both sides of a windowless room. _That explains the pain in my arms then. _Thought Nigel, only now begging to feel conscious enough to be concerned about he predicament. He was obviously kidnapped, that much was certain. _That's real new. I wonder who it is this time. Probably one of Sydney's old foes, looking to bait her into carrying out a hunt. Or maybe they're asking for revenge. Could be looking for information about her. Well they aren't going to get it. I'm certainly not putting her in danger if I can help it. _

"Mr. Bailey, how kind of you to join us", came a snarl from the door that Nigel had only just noticed. A tall, muscular man with a boney face and an unkept beard, strolled into Nigel's line of sight.

"I'm afraid there's been some kind of a mistake." Nigel pleaded, putting on his best 'innocent puppy' face. "Whom ever you're looking for, I'm not him and I doubt I'd know anything you want to know."

"Oh don't be to sure of that Mr. Bailey. I'm sure you know plenty,"

"No I assure you. I'm quite daft. I can barely remember my own name. I think they call it retrograde amnesia." It was unconvincing even to his own ears, but he hoped that his captor wasn't smart enough to notice.

"Believe me, when we're through here, amnesia will be the least of your worries."

Something in the man's eyes scared Nigel. There was a glint, a hunger for violence that Nigel had seen before in his short career with Sydney. This man was hungry for blood, and Nigel did not want to think about who would be supplying that blood.

"Now Mr. Bailey, lets get down to business. I want you to translate something for me and if you do, then you'll be a free man. However, if you fail to do so, for any reason, the consequences will be very unpleasant."

"t…translate? I don't know any other language aside from English. How can I translate?" He tried to control the tremor in his voice as he said this. He wasn't as good at lying as he might like to be.

"Oh don't make this more difficult than it already is. You work with Sydney Fox, we know all about you. So give up the act." The man replied, barely keeping his temper in check.

"Yes well you've got something wrong, I work with professor Fox, but as a TA. I just mark essays and that sort of thing. No translations needed there."

"Suit yourself." With that, the man stepped aside, letting three hefty men walk past him and stand directly in front of Nigel.

"Here is the deal Mr. Bailey, one of these men has the scroll we need you to translate, the other has a knife, and the third has electric wires. You will choose who you want to address." With that, the man seemingly in charge left the room, leaving Nigel alone with three, entirely too eager to hurt, men.

"Can't we come to some agreement?" squeaked Nigel, hoping to get through to at least on of them. But instead of a positive response, Nigel received a swift kick in his gut as his answer. Stifling back a cry, Nigel stumbled backwards, only to be held in place by his shackles.

"Read!" yelled the man with the scroll, as he shoved it into Nigel's face. Staring at the scrolls, Nigel internally jumped. How did they get these? He had seen these scrolls before, in Dr. Amrol's office.The young History professor had asked Nigel and Sydney to help him in uncovering Asclepios' shrine, which supposedly stored many healing potions, poisons and apparently the elixir of life. There was no way he could let that sort of knowledge get into the wrong hands. If he had learned anything from Sydney, it was that people like these, did not look for relics to hand over to museums, but instead for their own personal gains. Nigel was not going to betray his own sense of morality to help these men get richer, or god forbid, gain imortality.

"Sorry, but I can't read anything. I don't have my glasses." Which was partly true, it was difficult to read without his glasses, but not impossible, But his captives didn't have to know that. "I won't…" Nigel didn't get a chance to explain himself further as another kick in the gut was delivered, followed by a punch to his jaw.

"Enough, let me have a go" said the man with the knife. Nigel's heart skipped a beat at the idea. With a meanicing grin, the bald and unpleasant looking fellow took a step forward and stood directly in front of Nigel's nose. Bringing his Knife up to Nigel's chest he whispered. "Tell us what the scrolls said or I'll skin you alive little man."

"Honestly…" Nigel gulped. "I don't have…ah" Nigel gasped as a sharp pain sprouted from his chest, where "ugly bald guy" stabbed him, creating a deep but not fatal cut. Nigel struggled to get the pain under control, shifting desperately as his hand automatically tried to spring free and clench his wound.

"You were saying? little man? "Nigel just shook his head as he closed his eyes shut, blocking out the terror that was playing out in front of him. _Oh God, Syd, where are you? You probably haven't even noticed I'm gone yet. It couldn't have been more than a couple of hours since you left my place. What do I do? _ Nigel was brought out of his mental retreat whish a sharp pull of his hair, as his head snapped backwards. The third man with the wires sneered at him in disgust. "He's not going to talk like this. He looks tired, lets give him some energy." With that, suddenly Nigel's world became a montage of unimaginable pain as electricity charged through his body, making him involuntarily convulse in pain. A scream escaped his lips before he fell into blessed unconsciousness.

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"Nigel!" Syndey shot up from her bed, stretching her hand out to pull back her unseen companion. Suddenly snapping out of her dream, she lowered her hand. She could feel her heart beating so hard and fast that it seemed like chest was about to explode. She had once again dreamt about Nigel throwing himself into the line of fire of an unknown enemy, and then falling into a dark pit. This reoccurring nightmare had woken Sydney up many a times, and each time it had renewed a sense of forbidding and fear for her best friend.

Knowing that she was not going to get any more sleep, Sydney got out of bed. The son was already rising, so she decided that it would be best to just get ready and head for the University, at least that way she could get more work done. The thought of calling Nigel to make sure that he was okay, crossed her mind several times while getting ready, but she pushed it away, reminding herself that he needed his rest, and her inquiry would only concern him more than anything.

Finally when Sydney reached the Ancient Studies department, she found it strangely deserted. She was not used to being in the office this early in the morning. Usually, Claudia and Nigel were already in the office to greet her, but that was not the case today. Trying not to think about the biting silence around her, Sydney slowly made her way to her office and dropped her sachet on her desk. Not quite in the mood to start working immediately, Sydney decided to grab a cup of coffee from the Strabucks across the hall before getting down to the nitty gritty. Briskly, Sydney retraced her footsteps, out the door of her department, already anticipating the taste of her beloved cup of white chocolate Mocha.

When she returned to her department, a cheerful voice greeted her as it usually did.

"Hey Syd, you're in early!"

"Hey Claudia. Yea, thought I'd get an earl start. Nigel here yet?"

"Nope, he doesn't usually get here till another half hour."

"How come ou're here so early."

"I always get in this early" Clauda replied, sounding offended.

"Really? Since when?" Asked Sydney, skeptically.

"I do!"

"New mailman?"

"Oh he's so cute, you have to see him. Its like he walked out of a dream" claidia piped, lmost jumping up and down with excitement.

"Right, anyway, I'm going to go in and start working on the new Greek rubbings Dr. Amrol sent me. Can you call his office up and ask him about the scrolls. He was supposed to get them authenticated and send them to us."

"Ok, I'll call him." Said Claudai, already dialing the number.

Within a few minutes, a Claudia walked into Sydney's office.

"I called professor Amrol's office, he's not in but his secretary told me that he want to see you in his office and that he'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Did she say what the meeting was about? "

"No, he didn't."

"He? Wasn't his secretary a girl."

"Yea, that's what I thought, maybe he's new, or a temp or something."

"Maybe." Sydney Shrugged, before getting up, gabbing her bacg and heading for the door.

"Clauda, send Nigel my way when he gets here." Called Sydney as she exited the department.

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What greeted Sydney when she reached professor's Amrol's office, completely shocked and confused her. There, in front of her, lay the lifeless form of the Young professor, with a stab wound in his chest. What was even more shocking was that the murder weapon was her own dagger. However, before she could react or think about what was happening, the doors behind her burst open and a group of armed policemen stormed into the dingy office.

"Hands up!" yelled the man directly in front, pointing the gun to Sydney's chest.

"Wait, I can explain." Cried Sydney, too flustered to think of a way out. But instead of letting her explain any further, one of the policemen grabbed both her hands and hand cuffed her.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can be held against you in court." With that, Sydney was dragged out of the building and shoved into the police car. Even though she tried to fight the men, all the way through, there were just too many of them.

In the distance, a man clad fully in black, watched the police car speed into the distance as he dialed his cell phone.

"They've got her." He reported, and then hung up the phone.


	3. Chapter 3: Evidence

**Chapter 3: Trapped **

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters **

**A/N- Thanks so much for reviewing! Keep them coming please! **

"Did he tell you anything?" Asked the tall and boney faced man that Nigel had encountered earlier.

"Not yet Mr. Coppole, he's being difficult." Replied the man Nigel had dubbed 'Ugly bald guy'

"What use are you to me if you can't even make one little geek talk Rafeek?" Coppole roared.

"Sir, we're trying every method in the book. The dweeb just isn't responding."

"Its lucky for you, I had a back up plan. We have to get the information out of him before boss gets impatient."

"Is he here yet?" asked Rafeek, slightly disconcerted at the thought that the ruthless man, they all refereed to as "boss" was going to get very angry if he didn't get what he wanted.

"He will be soon. Bring the boy to me and get me the tape that the others sent us."

"Yes sir" with that Rafeek quickly gave a short bow before horridly running away.

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"Caludia!"

"Syd! Thank God you're ok."

"Yes I'm fine, but these people aren't listening!"

"Don't worry Syd, my dad is sending his best lawyer as we speak."

"I'm not sure that'll be good enough. I get the feeling I've been framed and some people around here are in on it." Looking behind Claudia, Sydney realized that something was amiss. "Wait a minute, where's Nigel?"

Looking decidedly uncomfortable, Claudia began her rant. "I got worried when he didn't show up all day. I've looked everywhere Syd, He's nowhere to be found. I called his house, no one picked up, I went to his apartment but was no one there either. When I asked his neighbors, they said that they didn't see him leave the house in the morning like they usually do. I called up every possible place I could think of but its like he just evaporated!"

"That's impossible! Where would he go?"

"I don't know, Syd but its kind of scary. You're in Jail and Nigel's missing. I can't help but think that its all connected."

"It probably is. I need to get out of here if I'm ever going to find any answers", growled Sydney, hitting her fists against the metal bars in frustration. As though it wasn't enough that she was stuck in a cell, being charged for something she didn't do, now she also had to worry about Nigel disappearing. _You better be ok Nigel. Actually you better have a really good reason for not being here, because I really need you right now. This is just bad timing on your part. _

"Well the Lawyer will be here any minute. I'm going to go back to the university and find out if anyone saw anything unusual around Dr. Amrol's office that might help."

"Fine, just keep me updated."

"I will" With that, Claudia spun around and left her good friend and mentor, helpless and alone, at the mercy of the New England Police.

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"I'm disappointed in you Mr. Bailey. I was hoping you'd be more co-operative." Nigel barely had the strength to flinch at the eerie calm in his captor's voice. "You don't have to do this you know. You can be a free man by just telling me what I need to know."

Nigel said nothing, staring at some point above Coppole's head. He was beyond exhaustion and his body hurt in more ways than he could count. He was not remotely interested in what this man was saying. Nothing could change his mind except.

"…Sydney Fox" Hearing her name, brought Nigel back to full attention. "If you don't want any harm to come to her. You will give me what I want." At this Nigel couldn't help but smirk.

"You know, your threat is all well and good, but if you think you're going to try and "harm" Sydney and live to tell the tale, then you're dumber than I thought." He had no idea where the sudden defiance had come from, but his faith in his best friend was much too strong to let some low life blackmail his way into submission.

"Your confidence in your friend is touching. Misplaced, but touching. Want to know why? See for yourself…" Through the corner of his eyes, Nigel spotted two men carrying a TV into his line of vision. Then they inserted a tape into the VCR. Not having much else to concentrate on, Nigel started at the scene being played out before him. He could see Sydney being handcuffed by the police, and Dr Amrols dead body in the background. Then the scene changed to Sydney being pushed into the prison, and the metal bars slamming behind her. "you're not listening to me. I didn't kill Professor Amrol! Hey! Come back here!" But the two policemen who had hand cuffed her simply walked away, ignoring her completely.

"You bastards. You framed Sydney!" Cried Nigel, appalled at the injustice and terrified at the thought that there would be no rescue after all.

"She'll be free to go as long as you tell us what we want to know."

"Let her go and I'll tell you." Just as the words left his mouth, Nigel realized that it was a mistake. He had given the men what they needed, a way to get to him. They now knew that he would do anything for Sydney.

"That's not going to happen. So, the choice is yours. Either you tell us what we want to know, or I assure you, Ms. Fox will never reach any sort of trial.

"You can't do this!" Nigel roared, enraged that these people were trying to manipulate him.

Ignoring Nigel's outburst, Coppole turned to Rafeek, "take him away, and make sure he understands his options."

Rafeek and hus men dragged Nigel out of the room, resuming another round of "interrogation" until Nigel once again passed out, out of sheer pain and exhaustion. His last thought as he succumbed to the darkness was hoping that he would live long enough to see Sydney safe and sound.

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Claudia quietly made her way into Professor Amrol's deserted office, the entrance of which was covered in yellow tape. The mere fact that she was breaking into the room where a man had been murdered, made the hair at the back of her neck stand up. But still she wriggled her way through the tapes, to get into the office. She was determined to find something that would help prove her friend's innocence. Looking around the room however, she found nothing that was out of ordinary. Books were scattered across the table, a file cabinet stood untouched in the corner and a standing lamp stood unlit near it, its lamp shade casting a dark shadow on the wall. Suddenly, Claudia heard movement come from behind her. Acting purely on instinct, she whirled around charged towards whoever was trying to sneak up behind her.

Screaming and thrashing, she caught the man hard arcoss his jaw. He yelped in pain, before catching hold of her hands.

"Hey! Relax lady!" he cried, before reaching out to turn on the lights.

"Derek!" Claudia squealed. "What're you doing here?"

"You mean aside from being beaten up by you? I could ask you the same thing Claudia."

"You first." She demanded, stamping her foot.

"I'm here to find something to help Sydney." Replied Derek Lioyd, one of Sydney's old boyfriends and a special intelligence officer.

"How'd you know about that?"

"I just got a report that a group of criminals that call themselves the "The Alchamists" are looking for the same relic Dr Amrol was on the verge of discovering. Then I found out that Sydney was arrested on the charge of his murder. I'm pretty sure Sydney didn't do it and there is no reason to suggest that they wouldn't. I also have reason to believe that Nigel's been kidnapped by these people."

"What? How do you know?"

"We intercepted a phone call the night before Professor Amrol got murdered. One of the group members was giving a local criminals that we were tagging, Nigel's home address."

"How did you find out Nigel was missing though? I only just figured it out"

"Well, the very fact that he's not going nuts over getting Sydney out was a pretty big indication. But aside from that, I went and checked out his apartment, they cleaned it up pretty well but I still found Nigel's glasses in the bushes outside his building. They probably fell out while they were dragging him out."

'Do you know where he is. We need to find him!"

"Yea I know. I don't even want to think about what these people will do to him. They're known to be pretty ruthless. Their leader especially, he doesn't leave any sutvivers. But first, we have to spring Sydney out of Jail."

"Did you find any evidence here?"

"Not yet. But I only just got here. Lets take a look."

With that both of them began to meticulously search for something that might help them in aiding both their friends. After a few minutes Claudia jumped up in excitement. "Derek! The phone!."

Looking up from his crouched position on the floor where the trace of professor Amrol's body was drawn he frowned in concentration. "I didn't hear it ring."

"No! when I called to ask about the scrolls, the killer picked up the phone pretending to be Dr Amrol's secretary. Maybe we can find fingerprints to match that criminal of yours and use it as evidence to prove Sydney's innocence?"

"Yes. That's it. No one would have thought to check the fingerprints on the phone. Ok, lets bag the phone and I'll have my men take a look at it."

After looking around for some more evidence for a bit, they both gave up and left the office, heading towards the police station.

Within a few hours, Derek had collected enough information to confirm that the Alchemists were behind Amrol's death and Nigel's abduction. On this basis, he used his contacts to get Sydney out of Jail by the end of the day.

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"Thanks Derek. For everything."

"Come on Syd, we're been through way to much for this sort of thing, Besides, I need your help in finding these "Alchemists" and rescuing Nigel."

"Yea well, that's something I don't need to think about twice." Said Sydney, making her way to Derek's car. She was more worried about Nigel then she could remember herself being in a long time. It was true that this was not the first time he had been abducted but from the way Derek had described the group, there was little doubt in her mind that by now, her Nigel was at least severely injured, if not…no she wouldn't go there. Nigel would never leaver here alone. She still had to figure out her feelings for him. They still had never discussed the chemistry between them, and even when Nigel had tried to bring something up, she had brushed him aside. But now she was beginning to wonder if the oly reason she avoided talking about it was because she was afraid of being rejected by him in the long run. After all, every man has his ego and all the men she had dated in the past had tried to tame her. She had been afraid that Nigel would stop being as openly accepting of her as he is now. But now it seemed stupid to think that way. Nigel would never do that. He was not like the others. He was the only man in the world who cared for her so deeply that he completely that he accepted every flaw of hers, and tried to change himself to suit her lifestyle rather than the other way around. True, that it was his job to help her, but Nigel went far and beyond the call of duty every single day with her.

She had to find him. She had to tell him how she felt and most of all, she had to make sure that he was okay.


	4. Chapter 4 : Secrets

**A/N- Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think of this one. And thanks so much for reviewing! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Please keep them coming.**

Chapter 4: Secrets

Sydney was frantic, Nigel was abducted three days ago and she was just starting to look for him. There was no telling what kinds of catastrophes had befallen her assistant since they last met. Her mind would not stop going over worst case scenarios long enough to look for a solution to the problem at hand. As she watched trees, houses and street lamps race by from the window of Derek's car, she wondered how long it would be tills she found him again, and if she would ever be able to tell him about her new found feelings. She wanted so desporately to hold him in her arms and feel the warmth of those tender but strong arms. She wanted to gaze into his hazel eyes and lose herself as she often did. How she longed for her Nigel's smile, that one shy and unasuming smile that washed away all her worries so easliy. She even missed his aggitated rambling, he was such a cute rambler. No one ranted quite as sweetly in life and death situations as Nigel did. Sometimes she thought he only did it for her amusement. When it came to her safety, Nigel flung himself into danger without a second thought. The thought of danger brought a pang of fear into Sydney once again. He had to be okay, there was no other exception.

Looking up, she noticed from the corner of her eyes that Derek was giving her nervous side ways glances. "What?" She asked, getting self conscious.

"You tell me? "

"Huh?" Sydney asked, confused by the response

"What are you thinking about? Haven't said a word since we left the police station."

"I was just wondering about Nigel." Sydney said quietly,

"Yea, me too." Derek eyes went soft as he said that. He was worried about his friend as well. Nigel was the only real friend he had ever earned. Some how Nigel understood Derek and always tried to be there whenever he could, without asking for anything in return. It was hard for Derek to feel comfortable enough to lean on other people. but that was not the case with Nigel. So many times Derek found himself, calling his friend just to talk and not be judged for the kind of work he did. Even Sydney, as perceptive as he always is, never looses her undertone of mistrust with him, but Nigel was always supportive and trusting. Some would call Nigel naïve, but Derek knew that wasn't true, Nigel could be more skeptical than even Sydney when he wanted to be. No, he was not naïve, but instead a man who at least tried to see the good in people, before writing them off. So, when a guy like him, trusted you, you needed to live up to that trust, because otherwise it meant, you had lost the ounce of goodness that made you human.

"We'll find him Syd, and he's going to be just fine.

"Yea, if I have to go to hell and back, I'm going to make sure we find him." Said Sydney, suddenly finding her resolve after hearing the determination in Derek's voice.

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Trinity University

"Ok Claudia, I want you to find everything there is to know about the Alchemists. What they're known for, where there last sighting was. Use all of the files Derek gave us and any other source you can find."

"Sure."

"Where are we going?" Asked Derek, noting Sydney grab her Sachet.

"To see if we can find a lead on Nigel."

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Sydney and Derek walked into the noisy sports bar.

"What is this place?" Derek asked, feeling very at in the atmosphere. Loud rock music played in the backgroud, while burley men crouded around tables playing cards and drinking beer. Smell of smoke and sweat assalted thier nostrils as they descended the staircase. It was exactly the kind of place where Derek liked to hang out at after a hard mission, only minus the filthy, muscle clad drunken men that made up the majority of the otherwise well maintained bar.

"It's a relic hunter's bar. I have a friend here who might be able to help us."

"Right." Derek nodded. Sydney always had reliable sources.

Walking towards the bar, Sydney leaned on the counter.

"Not aged a day I see," Sydney exclaimed, with a sultry voice.

"Sydney! Still as beautiful as ever." Replied the old yet handsome bartender. Quickly leaning over to give her an awkward hug.

"It's good to see you Jake!"

"You too my love. What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you know anything about the Alchemists."

Suddenly Jake's friendly demeanor changed to one of caution. He looked around the bar, making sure that no one was listening. "Not here, meet me in the back room." He whispered, and then resumed to pour a drink for another costumer.

With a few minutes Jake joined Sydney and Jake in a small room behind the bar.

"Why are you looking for the Alchemists Sydney?" Jake asked, sounding both worried and suspicious.

"They have Nigel!" Sydney replied

"What! Oh dear. That's real unlucky,"

"Why, what do you know?" Asked Derek, edging closer to the old man in anticipation.

"I heard that they had tried to bring in a new expert into their ranks but that he wasn't cooperating. I never thought it could be Nigel." Remembering the young and friendly Englishmen from Sydney's last few visits.

"Do you know where they've taken him?" Sydney asked, even more worried now than she was before.

"I'm not sure. I heard they were looking for Asclepios's elixir of life. My guess is Greece. At least that's where I heard one of their operatives was going, the only one that my source is in contact with."

"Ok can you give me more info on this guy?"

"Yea let me write it down for you." Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from on the desk behind him, Jake scribbled a few lines and handed it to Sydney.

"Thanks Jake!" Sydney said, hugging the older man.

"I did owe you one. Good luck! Bring him back safely "

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"You fools! How could you let her go?" Coppole screamed on the phone.

"I don't care if an intelligence officer as involved! Your job was to keep her there! You'll have much more to worry about than your measly job now; you can count on that much." With that he slammed the receiver shut.

"Sir, if I may, why did we need the geek, after all Sydney Fox is the real relic hunter."

"She's more trouble than she's worth. That woman is as tough as nails. Her record for getting her way is pretty consistent. She wouldn't have done what we wanted, and even if she had, she'd find a way to take the relic back with her. No, she's too much trouble. We can't afford to call that kind of attention to ourselves. "

"The boy isn't giving in either. What are we going to do with him?"

"I think we'll let the boss take care of him."

Rafeek nodded, already feeling sorry for the dweeb. They hadn't done half the damage his boss was going to do.

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Nigel woke up with a start. He wasn't sure what had woken him, but he sure regretted taking the bait. Every inch of his body screamed for attention. He realized, slowly that he was still hanging off the shackles, but was half lying on the floor, completely unable to carry his own weight. As his senses slowly woke up, he finally heard a voice talking to him. Looking up, he could make out a blurred figure sitting in front of him. He was sure he had never seen this person before. He had silver grey hair, a pale completion and weary eyes. Those were the only features that stuck out to Nigel's tired eyes.

"Hello Nigel." Nigel didn't respond. Trying to decide how to deal with the stranger.

"I'm Markus Bright. I see that my men have introduced themselves to you."

"Not really. I don't think I know any of their names yet. You might want to teach them some basic manners. Like not beating up a guest to an inch of his life."

The old man chuckled. "I must admit, I never realized you were so spirited."

"We can't always be right, now can we?" Nigel was sure, that he had lost his mind. They must have really knocked his head; his mouth was escaping him, without his permission. The truth was, he was afraid, deathly tired and worried about Sydney. But it seemed that despite all that, he couldn't help but mouth off to these goons. Perhaps he was spending too much time with Sydney. Nah, there was no such thing as too much time with his beautiful employer, a whole lifetime seemed too short. Even though, that "too short" bit was going to be true soon enough.

"I'm only going to ask you once. Are you going to help us translate this scroll or not? "

"Are you letting Sydney go?" Nigel asked, just as calmly as the man before him. However, the slur in his voice clearly betrayed the pain he was in. There was a pause n the part of the man before him. Nigel could not clearly make out the expression on the Markus' face, but it was clear that something was wrong. Fear instantly gripped him as his heart skipped a beat. In the space of that one beat, Nigel saw the million ways in which Sydney could be harmed.

"What did you do to her? Where is she? I won't tell you a single thing till I see her."

"Have it your way then." With that, the man got up and pulled out something from his jacket pocket. Nigel couldn't make out what the object was at first, but as Markus brought it closer, Nigel realized that it was a syringe.

"What's that?"

"You'll find out soon enough." With that, the man stabbed the needle into Nigel's neck, right above his right shoulder blade. An involuntary cry rose from Nigel's lips. Pulling the needle out once again, the older man smirked, before making his way out once more.

Nigel could feel liquid coursing through his veins. A burning sensation rose through his chest as though someone had lit his insides on fire, and then dropped molten lava, to add to the heat. He gasped in pain, while struggling with his bonds, trying desperately to escape from his own body. Clenching his teeth, he tried to ride the pain out, but the longer he waited, the more it grew. His breath was coming in small gasps as his whole body shook with pain. So far he had been kidnapped, beaten, blackmailed and now he was being cooked from the inside. To think that all he ever wanted was a nice teaching job. If he wasn't in so much pain, he probably would have laughed at the irony. The pain reached an all time high, causing Nigel to pull his knees up to his chest as much as possible, before the feeling died down all together. Unable to deal with the sudden change, Nigel collapsed to the ground, as far as his bonds would allow him. His eyes began to droop as he began to loose consciousness once again; however, the sound of the door opening forced him to stay awake.

"Well Nigel, I trust you are now familiar with the agony that our little friend here can cause." Said Markus, pointing to a vale that contained blue liquid in his hand. "This little bugger is called Chimera, a wonderful Greek poison." At this, Nigel's eyes went wide, not so much surprised but terrified at having his worst realization come true.

"Why are you doing this? What are you getting out of killing me?"

"Nothing actually. But we will get something if you manage to save yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, this particular poison was said to be made out of Aclepios' stash of potions and medicines. It can only be cured by the elixir of life. Ever since we found this, our suspicions of the elixir being real have been confirmed. So now, if you want to live, find the elixir."

"What about Sydney?"

"We had no use for her."

"Where is she?" Nigel asked, now out of control with worry

"You'll find that she doesn't need to be rescored anymore." With that, Markus rose from his feet and turned to leave.

"We start first thing in the morning. Rest now, you'll need to live long enough to find the Elixir."

"Wait. I won't do anything till I know where Sydney…'

"She's Dead." Yelled Markus, before turning around and leaving.

Nigel couldn't breathe. Sydney was dead? How could this be? How was he going to live without her? His beautiful, amazing and wonderful Sydney couldn't be dead. He refused to believe it. But even as he told himself his, tears began to spill from his eyes, unchecked. Flashes of Sydney smiling at him, teasing him, playfully glaring at him and or putting ran through his memory. There was no one in the world as beautiful as her, in every way possible. She had taught him how to live, to break away from his shell and become confident enough to go gallivanting around the world with her by his side. Though he would never admit it out loud, Sydney had made him fall in love with relic hunting. The thought of Sydney not being alive tore Nigel's heart up much more painfully than any poison ever could. _God, don't do this to me! I can't live without her. We're partners, we're supposed to live and die together. Or better yet, let me take her place. Don't take her away from me please. _

**A/N- Sorry for being so mean to Nigel. Things will look up for him, really. Just not right now. But when they do, I promise it will be good. Please Review!  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Riddle

**A/N- Hey guys, I'm sorry this took forever. Thanks for the reviews. This one is for Roxie, Angie and Kate! I hope you like it.**

Chapter 5 : Riddle

The flight to Greece had been anything but comfortable, Not only was Sydney plagued by disturbing thoughts of Nigel, she had not been able to sleep properly since the night of her arrest, and was hoping to catch a few winks on the flight. The couple sitting behind her had other plans for her though. They had bickered and fought through out the trip, and the plain was so crammed that it felt like they were talking directly in her ear. She had to stop herself lashing out at the two of them several times. She had missed Nigel's company as well. Usually, if both of them couldn't sleep, they'd talk through the whole trip. They'd get so caught up in their conversation that the announcement for the plain landing would take them by surprise. Sydney smiled at one of their recent conversations.

"_Ok your turn." _

"_What? I'm not playing this stupid game." _

"_Come on Nigel, I told you my most embarrassing moment." _

"_Oh please, that was hardly embarrassing." _

"_What? Did you not hear me, I treipped!"  
_

_"How is tripping THAT embarrassing?" _

"_It was prom night." _

"_So, its just tripping in a party, I'm sure no one even noticed." _

"_I tripped over the prom king's foot on stage, going to receive my crown! I was forever known as queen Clutz." _

_Nigel gaped at her, a little sympathetic but mostly trying to control his laughter. _

"_Don't laugh! It was horrible!" That set him off completely before Nigel went into hysterics. _

"_Sorry, Sorry….So what happened after that?" _

"_I kneed his highness for making fun of me." _

"_I thought you fancied him." _

_"I did till he dubbed me queen Clutz in front of everyone." _

_Nigel smiled knowingly "You know, someone, the conclusion of your story is not at all surprising" _

"_Ok now your turn." Said Sydney, eager to shift focus from herself. However, Nigel did not share the enthusiasm. _

"_Come on Nigel, it can't be that bad!" _

"_Oh it is!" _

"_Tell!" She glared, knowing that her mock stern order would do the tick. _

"_Fine, Fine" Nigel Sighed dramatically. "Preston forced me to take ballroom dancing, so he could show off his bloody excellent skills with flinging young ladies around the dance floor. But it so happened that I danced better than he did and he was deathly jealous of me. So one day, he offers generously to buy me a nice pair of slacks for dance practice. I didn't suspect anything because I was a naïve idiot at the time. When we finally got to the dance floor, I realized that they were rather tight, but it was too late to do anything by then. So, lo and behold, during one of the more complicated lifts, I stretch my legs and take a guess what happened?" Sydney was pretty sure about what was to come next but didn't dare interfere. "That's right, they split right down the middle." as though Sydney had spoken "and Preston did everything in his power to humiliate me!" At this Nigel's voice rose of few octaves, as he became steadily more enraged at the memory_

_Sydney didn't dare laugh, though the image of Nigel's pants tearing while doing the splits, repeatedly floated about through her head. Refusing to rise to the bait of her over active imagination, Sydney decided not to comment, as Nigel was quite unpredictable when it came to his brother. _

"_That's…that one tops mine by a mile." _

"_Oh, I can sweep the floor with all your embarrassing moments if I recount all the tortures Preston has bestowed on me." _

"_Well at least you weren't cross dressing, or naked!" _

"_Actuallu come to think of it, you might have done me worse than Preston on some accounts." Mortified Sydney squealed. _

"_I did not!" _

"_Did too." _

"_Did not!" _

"_Yes you did." _

"_Did NOT. I merely expanded you horizons about certain talents, you know, rising above the usual." _

"_Well I like to stay on the bottom." At that Sydney's eyes went wide with mischief. _

"_Do you now? I like to be on top." Nigel blushed a deep shade of pink. _

_"Syd!" He chided, But then broke into a chuckle "you're horrible." _

_"Why thank you Nigel" She replied, with a broad grin on her face.  
_

The sound of the phone ringing brought Sydney back to the present. She quickly rummaged through her sachet before fishing out her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Syd, its me Claudia. I have news."

"What is it Claudia?"

"Dr Amrol's assistant, or ex-assistant just faxed me all of the professor's research, and in it I found a photocopy of the scrolls he was talking about and also a map that he later discovered behind the scrolls. "

"What happened to the original?"

"They were stolen, probably by the people who killed him. I never got a chance to ask about them when you were in jail."

"Ok scan everything and e-mail it to me."

"Ok."

"Syd..." there was a small pause. "Bring him back." Claudia's voice was so quiet that Sydney wondered if she had imagined it.

"I will. Don't worry. This is one hunt I intend on following through at any cost."

"Yea I know. I better get back to my research. I'll call you if I find anything significant."

Just as Sydney hung up the phone, Derek walked away from the hotel reception counter to stand in front of her.

"I got the keys, lets get settled in, get something to eat and then move out."

Sydney nodded and then quietly picked up her bags before following Derek to their designated rooms. On the way, she recounted her conversation with Claudia.

"So basically, they want Nigel to translate and then possibly find the relic."

"Yea, so our best move would be to find the relic. We find it, we find Nigel. Because either they will want to bargain for the relic, or we'll find Nigel in the same place searching for the relic."

"You think he'll help them?"

"Not willingly, but I don't even want to think about what he's up against."

"You're right." Nodded Derek as they reached their destinations.

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_I killed Sydney Fox!_ Was the only thought that stayed alive in Nigel's mind beyond the pain, the exhaustion, fear and anger. All he wanted to remember was that his Sydney was dead because of his refusal to help his captors and this thought tortured him far more than any physical pain anyone could bestow upon him. He wanted to live now, if only to torture himself, to prolong his suffering, which he believed he rightly deserved. He knew that Sydney would never have wanted his captors to get their hands on the elixir of life, but he was sure there could have been a cleverer way of keeping it from them. He felt he should have done more to protect Sydney.

He didn't get much more time to brood over his mistakes as the sound of the door slamming open disrupted his thoughts. Forcing himself to open his eyes, he had fallen unconscious again, and in that time it seemed that his surroundings had changed. He was no longer hanging from shackles but was instead lying on a solf coushined bed. Looking around, he realized that he was in a small bedroom with no windows, cream painted walls and a small desk towards the right of the bed. In the doorway stood Markus, exuding an air of flase patience.

"feeling any better?" he asked, almost sounding kind.

Thinking over it, Nigel felt decidedly worse than the night before, if that were possible and he was sure, the poison was its cause. He felt feverish, adding to his long list of ailments. He decided to keep this to himself.

"Oh yes, I feel delightful." He replied instead, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. He was beyond hatred, he wished nothing but the most horrible death upon the man before him, not because of his own sorry state but for killing the only woman he had ever loved.

"Good then, we're leaving this afternoon. The scrolls are on the desk, finish your translations. We're going to begin our search today. Your breakfast will be here soon. I suggest, you behave, the only reason you're being treated like this is because I need you to live long enough to find the relic. If you're not going to co-operate, dead one way or another, doesn't matter to me." With that, he spun on his heel and left, leaving Nigel on the verge of a retort, staring and the closed door.

Rage bubbled up inside him, he wanted just to rip the man's heart out. His own heart was already broken and his will to live and left him since the night before. All stangle the person responsible for Sydney's death, himself included. But then, he realized that Sydney would have lost her life for nothing. He had find a way to find the relic without letting it fall into the hand of these criminals. He wanted to go on this hunt to honor Sydney, and restore one last relic for her sake, before it fell into the wrong hands. He was sure that after his death, they would find someone else for the job. He would not allow it. Once he handed over the Asclepios' shrine to its people, there would be plenty of time to die, and possibly to kill. He was not sure if he had the ability for the latter in him, but the anger that boiled inside him at that moment certainly made it seem like he did.

And so he put himself to work.

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Nigel double checked the scrolls to make sure he had translated the text correctly. The dialect was a derivative of ancient Greek, Linear A and hieratic, that was much harder to decipher if one was not an expert in all three. He was sure very few in the world could read this rare combination, as it was only used in a very small area of Greece.

He quickly scribbled down the English translation on a piece of paper. It read

**Eternity lies in the cradle **

**Life lies at the foot of Daedalus **

**As our God that preserved it wished **

**Seek and you shall sea, **

**Land beneath the wind**

Reading them over a couple of times, Nigel frowned at the words. Talk about being cryptic. It was a riddle that was for sure., but what it meant, was lost on Nigel. He then turned to the "map" behind the scroll. It was pointless because it was so obscure, one could only apply it to a very localized piece of land. He guessed, one had to know the location to use the map. All it contained was a vague shaped sketch of a mass of land, with an X drawn on the lower right side, and rectangular shape directly opposite it. THe only thing it told Nigel was that they were probably looking for an island.

The thought of the island suddenly sparked a connection in his tired brain. Of course. Daedalus was trapped in Crete, which was also known as the Minoan cradle of civilization. The shape of the island on the map didn't match up but Nigel figured that the shape must have changed in the past couple of thousand years.

He was unsure of what to do next. He couldn't lead these people directly to the relic, and he also had no way of getting there himself. The only way to lead them half way, then find the most advantageous moment to take them out and then go looking for the relic himself. He knew that he wasn't as good at deception and "taking people out", certainly not the way Sydney was, but if this was his last act on earth, he was going to do everything in his power to reach his goals. Besides, he thought, he had spent enough time with Sydney to pick a few thing up.

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Derek was getting agitated, Sydney had spent the past hour, shuffling papers and scribbling lines on a pad. He respected her expertise but he was a man of action, and not being able to help in any way was making him feel anxious. Then suddenly Sydney got up from her desk. There was a glint of hope in her eyes that he hadn't seen before.

"Get your stuff, we're leaving for Crete in five minutes." With that Sydney rushed out the door to her own room to pick ip her sachet.

Derek sat dumbfounded for a few seconds. A surge of excitement ran through his body, they were getting closer to finding Nigel. He could feel it in his gut.

**A/N Hey guys, I know its a short one, but please review! And I'm sory for any grammatical errors.  
**


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